Patching It Up
by Konaxookami
Summary: There were somethings Natsuki knew how to fix; like her bike, or maybe a car. She however, didn't know how to fix a wounded heart, especially since she was the one who hurt it. Perhaps though, it wasn't as hard as she thought. TWO-SHOT Shiznat
1. Chapter 1

ahh...I suppose for all of those who have read my other works need some justification for this...too bad though, I really don't have one. x3 I just wanted to write for one of my newer OTPs. They're really adorable, and the whole relationship is so fun to write...ah, yeah for Mai HiME/Otome. SA two-shot because I couldn't wait for the whole thing to be done. =w= sorta AU because they're in a NORMAL life. (strange I know right? xD)

**I disclaim any rights to the characters and the shows** (I merely enjoy torturing them is all ;) )

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The emerald eyed girl beneath her bike grunted at her red haired friend as she continued to gush over what she was able to catch, a date with Tate. She tightened her grip on the wrench in her hands and sighed, exasperated as she rolled out from under her prized possession. She gave her friend a pathetically honest look. "Mai, seriously, I'm not catching a word of what you say. You're giving me a headache- mind backing off with the jabbering?" she pleaded resting a hand on the pavement below her.

Her red headed friend pouted, and stuck her tongue out. "Oh, boo to you Natsuki, don't spoil my good mood!" she whined, winking one of her steel colored eyes to her friend, indicating the teasing manner of the comment. Natsuki rolled her eyes, shoving herself back under her vehicle, and Mai continued to talk, a bit slower this time. "In any case! Yuuichi-kun seemed to actually relax this time, I wonder what the difference was this time…" she pondered.

Natsuki couldn't help but snicker at this, "probably because octopus girl wasn't there glaring at the two of you this time," she reminded, sending Mai into a fit of laughter. Natsuki allowed herself a small smile as she tuned up the underside of her bike. Mai had been her friend since their first year of high school, and for the longest time she had been in a relationship with Kanzaki Reito, who was Mai's underclassman's brother; Mikoto, who also held dear feelings for Mai, found the relationship distressing, and it caused quite a bit of strife between the siblings. That was until Mai finally ended it by kindly rejecting the both of them, remaining friends with both parties. Natsuki shook her head in mute amazement at her friend, her ability to dissolve problems and tension never failing to catch her by surprise.

"Oh don't be mean to Shiho-chan, you know she can't help it," Mai scolded lightly, leaning over slightly to try to make Natsuki hear her firmness.

Natsuki rolled her eyes, "Being a stalker?" she mumbled, and yelped as Mai kicked her rolling board playfully, grabbing onto her bike in shock. "Don't do that!" she half growled, trying to calm her heart's sudden burst in speed from the jerk. Mai giggled in response, causing Natsuki to growl again. "Shut up," she muttered bitterly, trying to remember what line she had been working on before. The silence lasted for a while longer before Mai huffed, standing.

"Honestly-I come to visit you on your day off and all you do is fiddle with your bike! I would've thought Shizuru-san would be over," she groaned, getting the reply she wanted from the girl as she quickly slid out from under the bike, an indignant blush dusting her cheeks.

"W-What the heck makes you say that Mai?!" she protested loudly, a stutter in her words and a blush dominating her face. She saw Mai's smirk and groaned, slapping her forehead. She'd fallen for it.

"Ah…so you and Shizuru-san still are having some strange feelings, mm?" Mai teased playfully. She dropped her coy smirk in favor of a honest smile and giggled, "How is Shizuru-san anyways?" she asked casually, watching as Natsuki removed herself from below her beloved piece of metal.

Natsuki shrugged, grabbing the cloth off the bench Mai was now leaning on and started rubbing her wrench clean. "D-dunno, I guess she's fine really," she muttered, turning her head away, trying to hide her blush. The bluenette failed however as Mai giggled again.

"Oh, so you two have been hanging out then?"

"Nah, just hearing some snippets every now and then-since she's been so busy lately," Natsuki answered, putting the wrench down and wiping her hands. Mai frowned and Natsuki answered her hanging question, "Well, her parents want to be sure that the transfer of the family estates and business goes smoothly when the time comes so they're taking care of that,"

"And she didn't invite you along? Wow, that's pretty different-normally when she goes to Kyoto she brings you along right?" Mai mused, tapping her chin lightly.

Natsuki grunted, leaning against the bench herself, "Things have been different lately, you know? It's just…" a blush dusted her cheeks, "kind of awkward having to share the same room as her when things are like they are," she finished, mumbling enough that the words were muffled by her lips. Mai sighed and shook her head pushing herself off from the bench and shook her head at her friend.

"Well, in any case, hope things work out. Take care of yourself, and lay off the mayonnaise!" she ordered her friend, giving her a quick hug. Natsuki reluctantly returned it but stuck her tongue out at her friend, "oh bite me, it's good, and I work out, so it's fine," she countered childishly. Mai laughed, and Natsuki couldn't help but feel the twitch at the sides of her lips. "See you later Mai, take care of yourself too!" she called as her friend slipped out of the door of her garage.

A few moments went by before Natsuki allowed herself to sag against the wood. She knew Mai meant no harm when she had brought Shizuru up, it was just…touchy. She grumbled, scratching her scalp, her alternative to flipping her hair since it was held back in a messy bun at the moment. She wasn't quite sure what had conspired with herself and Shizuru, only that it had become very awkward since their last real outing. She bit her lip, trying to stop to already oncoming blush at the thought and grabbed a clean rag and a bottle of lube and quickly found herself snugly under her bike.

She still remembered the moment well. It had started off simple, they'd gone to the amusement park with a few friends; Mai, Mikoto, and even Reito had tagged along. However, it wasn't long before Shizuru had begun teasing Natsuki in front of them and the girl had found her day becoming increasingly harder to deal with. She could deal with Shizuru teasing her in private, or when they were alone, but not with more people around to laugh at her. She was spared however when the three broke off to go somewhere else. Well, at the time she had thought it was a blessing. She scowled as the memory resurfaced.

_"Ara, does Natsuki wish to be alone with me that badly?" she had teased, her Kyoto-ben lilting Natsuki's name. A gleeful expression covered her face as she watched Natsuki's face splotch with an adorable shade of pink._

_"Sh-Shizuru! Quit it already!" Natsuki demanded weakly, through a stutter. The elder of the two only smiled, narrowing her crimson orbs slightly. The emerald eyed one of the two knew just what had happened. She could just as much chalk up a point in her book for Shizuru making her blush._

_"Ara, is Natsuki angry with me?" Shizuru continued, pouting slightly, a mask of hurt of as she leaned towards the bluenette from her seat on the bench. Natsuki briefly considered saying yes but merely gave an exasperated sigh of defeat. She heard Shizuru's quiet giggle and chanced a glance to the girl at her side._

_"Mou, Shizuru, why do you tease me like that?" she asked flatly, a pout on her face, "I mean, it's really not worth anything is it? It seems stupid to me…" Natsuki rejoiced at the temporary sight of the elegant girl surprised for a moment before she was depraved of the rewarding sight._

_"Ara, because it's fun to make Natsuki blush," Shizuru answered truthfully, "it's a rather adorable sight,"_

_Natsuki felt her eye twitch at the word, "Adorable?"_

_"Hai, Natsuki's blush makes her even more appealing,"_

_Natsuki stiffened and a deep blush flooded her cheeks, eyes wide, "Appealing?" Shizuru was joking with her, right? It was true, Shizuru had admitted a few years ago that she felt something more than friendship for the girl, but Natsuki had brushed it off at the time as another one of Shizuru's traps to get her flustered. Natsuki felt her stomach turn in a knot as Shizuru's face twisted in confusion before she realized her slip and bit her lip._

_That was the sign something was wrong to Natsuki. Shizuru rarely, if ever bit her lip. She'd only seen it once, and that situation was something far more trying than this, right? Shizuru averted her eyes and Natsuki felt the knot tighten at the sight. "Shizuru?" she managed to choke out. Shizuru quickly glanced at Natsuki before putting her hand over Natsuki's, causing the other girl to jump slightly in her seat._

_"Natsuki…I really do…" Shizuru trailed off not exactly sure how to phrase her next words, "…want to be more than best friends Natsuki…Kannin na, Natsuki, shouldn't burden you with these feelings," she whispered, looking up at Natsuki a melancholy look in her crimson eyes. Natsuki couldn't help but see something more than sadness though; She saw a deeper feeling, something that scared her. _

_"ie…Shizuru, ie, it's not…" Natsuki managed after a time, a scared tone to her voice. She saw the brief pain cross Shizuru's face before her mask was up and she allowed a sigh. She dropped Natsuki's hand and stood. _

_"Ara, well then, ookini for taking me today Natsuki, I enjoyed it," she said with a mock happiness before walking off, "I'll see Natsuki later, mm?"_

Natsuki frowned, she had tried calling Shizuru, but she'd never pick up. She blamed the caller ID. She knew that she had a special ringtone-so Shizuru wouldn't need to pick it up. It was ticking her off. It'd been at least 3 weeks since she'd talked to her friend, and the only reason she knew about the Kyoto trip was because the note Shizuru had left for people at the front desk of the build her loft was in. It really pissed her off. Shizuru was flat out ignoring her, and it wasn't helping her work out this situation at all. Of course, she herself hadn't left any messages for Shizuru on her phone, save the last time she'd called and she'd gotten so upset she'd yelled into the phone 'talk to me god damnit!' before hanging up. It wasn't her most tactful method to getting attention, but she was frustrated.

Mai had relieved a bit of her lack of social behavior with her visit but it wasn't the same as being able to share a good conversation with Shizuru, or hanging out with the older woman. She sighed underneath her bike, letting her hands rest on the cold pavement below her , allowing herself to close her eyes in thought.

She laid there for a few moments before she heard someone opening her front door. She rolled her eyes, _Mai probably forgot her phone on the bench or something,_ she groused inwardly before yelling out to the visitor. "Yo! In the garage!" She went back to her work and waited for the person to arrive. She could tell by the footsteps that it was definitely female and groaned. "Mai, what're you doing back? You forget something or something? I thought you had plans for later," Natsuki called out from her spot.

She froze when she heard the pleasant chuckle from above her. "Ara, Natsuki thinks I'm Mai-san? Should I be honored or upset?" Natsuki's bottle of lube dropped from her grip and she had to grab the side of her bike to keep steady. She gulped as she pushed herself out from under the Ducati and flushed when she saw the elegant lady smiling down at her.

"Shi-Shizuru?" she breathed, embarrassment rising into her cheeks and seeping through her voice.

The crimson eyed beauty nodded, "Unless I am not myself, then yes Natsuki," she teased. Natsuki's blush only found itself spreading as she shoved herself back under her bike to hide it. She heard the polite laughter and saw the woman kneel. "Ara, why is Natsuki hiding from me? Am I that scary?" she whispered adding a sniffle to her thorough act. Natsuki bit her lip, this was tough, tease or real? The next sniff sent her out from under her hiding place and glanced up at the now smiling Shizuru.

"Shizuru…" Natsuki growled, the blush returning to her face as she pulled herself out from under the bike, "Why'd you show up all the sudden?" she asked, wiping her hands.

"Ara, did Natsuki herself not ask me to talk to her?" Shizuru asked, coking an eyebrow and pulling her phone from her pocket.

"aww shit…" Natsuki grumbled slapping her forehead, "look, I'm really sorry about that, I was just frustrated about you not picking up your phone," she apologized through a grumble.

"Kannin na myself then Natsuki, I should've answered your calls," Shizuru answered.

Natsuki shook her head, weakly glaring at her friend, "Don't try to make it your fault Shizuru, I started this mess," Natsuki muttered, tossing the rag and bottle onto the bench before trying to turn back to Shizuru, only to be caught by the girl's arms around the waist.

"Ara, Natsuki shouldn't take blame for something she has no control over, mm?" Shizuru whispered to her friend, causing the other the shiver before tensing up in her arms.

"Sh-Shizuru…" she stuttered, trying to warn her friend. She was thankful that the older of the two got the message and let her go, a light pout on her face.

"Natsuki's no fun…Ikezu,"

Natsuki felt her face slightly scowl at this and she could feel the blush that had risen from the embrace slowly start to fade as she turned to face the girl. Her scowl dropped in favor of a surprised look when she caught the look on her friend's face. She knew Shizuru well enough to know the expression she held on her face at the moment was something that wasn't in her normal array of expressions. A pained, saddened look, one she'd only witnessed briefly in the park. Of course, just as soon as Natsuki had witnessed it, it disappeared. "Sh-Shizuru…what was that…about?" she inquired hesitantly, not wishing to drive the woman away as she had done before.

Shizuru's face gained an amused tone and her mouth quirked upward in a polite smile, "What was what Natsuki?" she asked innocently.

Natsuki felt her frown return, she hated being teased like this. It wasn't fair. Especially when it had to do with something she wanted to remain serious about. She grasped at Shizuru's shoulder and turned the older woman to face her completely. She need to keep her focused. This was important. _That look, it had been…_ "That look you just had Shizuru, the one that wasn't teasing me," _…sad._

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_oooohhh, cliffy! xD no, I didn't plan for it to end there, it just kinda did. It's what happens when I split things up into two chapters instead of one. rawr, sometimes Shizuru can be hard to write_-but it's still fun!_ and Natsuki too, she's easier to write I gotta say. x3 reviews are always love-until next chapter!

Konaxookami  
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	2. Tell Me

I finally finished the second part! I'm sorry it took so long-but in the middle of writing it I lost my muse for the story and only just recently got it back when re-watching some of Mai HiME at my friend's request. I just I should thank him. x3 But I probably won't. This part is once again, more from Natsuki's point of view than Shizuru's, and really tried to convey Natsuki's more Gentle (can I use that word with her? xD) side, the one that she uses with Shizuru.

I'm gonna go ahead and apologize for any errors ahead of time since I have no beta and I can only do so much proofreading. If you you've forgotten what happened thus far-go and check out the first part! (It's got the disclaimer in there too)

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It took a few excruciating long moments for the elegant woman to make her reply, and when it came it was nothing of which Natsuki wished to hear. "Would Natsuki like to move to a more comfortable area?" she asked pleasantly, her 'polite mode' on, "Perhaps that would make this easier?" she offered.

Natsuki growled, letting her friend go and shook her head angrily, giving up. She opened the door to the living area and muttered an annoyed 'whatever' to the latter of the two. When she was sure the older woman had followed her and that the door was closed she turned on her. "what? Can't take the garage?" she murmured, anger still lightly tingeing her voice. She'd have preferred if they had spoken in there, where there was a easy exit and lots of things to keep her distracted enough to not become overly intimidated or start to over think.

"It would probably be easier to talk if we both had a place to sit, right?" Shizuru commented, gesturing with her hand towards Natsuki's small couch. Small as it was, Natsuki cast an embarrassed look at it. In the past few days of her vegging out it had become littered with game cases, her controller, and a few magazines. "Or perhaps…not?" Shizuru added a bit offhanded, raising a hand to her mouth to smother her small smile.

Natsuki gave her a quick scowl and set to work cleaning off the small area. "I just haven't really been paying attention to cleaning the past few days," she answered curtly. _Been too busy thinking about you…_she added silently in her head. She pushed the last of the debris away and motioned for Shizuru to sit. "Damn it…I'm a freakin' mess…I'll get it all dirty…" Natsuki grumbled, looking at her soiled cargo pants. They were the pair she always wore when working on her Ducati and today she'd gotten them particularly messy when she changed the oil. Her top too-which was a green wife beater had become soiled with splotches of black. Natsuki looked at Shizuru and growled, "Not a word out of you," she ordered, recognizing the glint in the crimson. She had a tease all set for the bluenette and she was not looking forward to it.

"Ara, I have no idea what Natsuki is talking about," Shizuru answered innocently, smiling to prove her point.

"Yeah, I'm sure…" Natsuki threw back sarcastically, grabbing a jacket from the ground and sitting on it. She looked to Shizuru who held that innocent smile and she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow, "What?'"

"nothing, only if Natsuki had wanted an easier way to kept _everything_ clean she could have simply taken them off," Shizuru answered smoothly. She had hit her mark when the other girl flushed and she gaped, trying to form a coherent answer. "Of course, it would seem Natsuki is too timid…?" she added, tapping her chin in thought.

"G-Get real Shizuru! Stop getting off topic!"

"We were on a topic?"

"Yes! Now tell me what's bothering you!" Natsuki ordered, narrowing her eyes to the girl, backing up her demand with a trademark 'Kuga Glare'.

Shizuru sighed, leaning back in her seat, an folded her hands in her lap. She would take her time with this, and Natsuki was fairly certain the other girl wished she had a cup of tea to sip while thinking. _Too bad Shizuru…nothing to distract you this time. _She thought victoriously. Of course, the thought of how long said thinking might take hadn't crossed her mind at the moment. At this moment, it seemed to be taking too much time. Of course, Natsuki never was very good at waiting for answers, or really anything. Thus she began to fidget.

It wasn't much at first, merely her drumming her fingers on her thigh. A simple sign of annoyance, but she was sure Shizuru had noticed. She was probably factoring it into Natsuki's mood too; trying to find the best way to talk to her. She also probably knew that she was ticking the girl off immensely at the moment. The foot started tapping around the ten minute mark and Natsuki couldn't even tell if the older girl had even come close to deciding anything. Needless to say, she was fed up with the silence. "Oi Shizuru-" her words were stopped by a risen hand from the subject of annoyance.

"It's alright Natsuki, I'm just about to begin," Shizuru answered quietly, placing the hand back in her lap. Natsuki nodded mutely, shutting her mouth. She'd have to bite back that retort forming on her tongue, and swallow the anticipation. "Natsuki…you wanted to know, why I was sad, right?" she began slowly, glancing towards the blue haired girl.

Natsuki nodded, "Yeah, I just noticed it earlier, and it was kind of strange…you don't normally make those sorts of faces," the girl mumbled slightly, _At least not around me…I know that much…_She added in her head.

"I suppose…it's from not being able to have what I want," Shizuru phrased carefully, closing her eyes, veiling her expression.

"What…does that mean?" Natsuki questioned quietly, a bit confused that Shizuru would say such a thing. The Fujino family well extremely well known throughout the Kyoto district, and even through the rest of Japan to some kind of degree. Shizuru should want for nothing, and Natsuki knew, given the girl's simplistic nature, she really didn't ask for much. The fact that Shizuru wasn't vocalizing her answer was starting to worry her. "Ne, Shizuru? What does that mean?" she pressed again, placing one of her hands on the older girl's shoulder. She wasn't prepared when the older girl turned towards her, eyes open with such an expression that the younger of the two had to suck in a breath.

"I want to _be_ with you Natsuki," she whispered fervently, eyes pained, "So very, very badly." Natsuki felt a tug at her heart when she locked eyes with the girl. She'd always found if she wanted the truth, she need only look into these eyes. However, these eyes now scared her with the depths of the emotion in them. Such a deep affection, and Natsuki was afraid to identify the other emotion; A burning love that seemed to scare the girl to no ends.

"ah…is that why…you said that…before?" Natsuki managed to choke out, forcing herself to focus and force words from her closed throat. Her hand left the older girl's shoulder and retreated under her legs, suddenly extremely squeamish around her almost lifelong friend. _Damn it! It's Shizuru-I shouldn't be afraid of her!_ Natsuki fumed at herself waiting for the older girl's answer.

"Yes, it was a slip of the tongue however, it wasn't supposed to come out like it had," Shizuru answered, pain and a strong sense of disappointment emanating from her tone and face. It was as if she was ashamed of letting herself simply be herself.

"Were you…never going to tell me?" Natsuki asked, trying to keep her voice even, though she felt her nervousness over the subject starting to bubble up in her throat, trying to force her to squeak.

Shizuru gave her friend a strained smile, "I know that Natsuki could never accept feelings like this, or ever feel the same way," she gave a small shrug of defeat, "So no, I wasn't planning on telling Natsuki,"

Natsuki felt the fabric under her stretch as she made her hands into fists. Her strained to keep calm once more, "How long Shizuru?" she asked through almost clenched teeth.

Shizuru blinked, turning to her friend, confused, "Beg your pardon?"

"How long…have you _loved_ me I mean," Natsuki answered, the word love coming out a bit harder than the others. It wasn't her fault though, she had never been very good with words and her feelings and this whole matter was really pushing the very limits of what her mind could really comprehend.

It was a while before the older girl answered, "It's probably been years now Natsuki…Though only in around the past year or so I came to terms with it myself,"

Natsuki squeezed her eyes shut, the fabric beneath her hands crumbling. _Shizuru…has been suffering all this time-because of me?_ She agonized in her mind. She had caught the elegant girl dazing off at times, or sometimes staring at her; but she had always dismissed it as the girl merely thinking deeply. _All those times…and I never even thought about asking about it!_ She yelled inwardly. She gasped when Shizuru's hand came in contact with her shoulder and her head whipped towards the crimson eyed beauty.

Shizuru's eyes radiated worry and genuine concern for the internally torn girl before her. Her mask had almost all but dropped and her eyebrows had creased together. Her mouth was downturned slightly as if frowning, "Nat…suki?" she whispered, "Are you…alright?" she asked. Natsuki had to turn her eyes downward to avoid the heat of the worried crimson, and bit her lip.

_Even now she's worrying about me-as if she thinks I couldn't handle it…did she already forget that I was one of the first to know about Chie and Aoi?_ Natsuki glanced up at Shizuru and nodded slightly, "Yeah…I am…so that's why you're sad huh…" she leaned back against the couch, letting Shizuru's hand fall from her shoulder, "'Cuz of me…" she muttered. _Because I can't…accept her…_She rubbed her temples and scowled, eyes closed in thought. _So…what should I say? I don't even freaking know if I'm straight or not! Ugh…what a time to be indecisive Kuga! Think damn it!_ She ordered herself, the scowl deepening slightly, _alright…I hate Takeda and pretty much all the other idiot boys who have tried to hit on me…and I haven't found any of _them_ attractive…so do I like girls?_ She let her hands fall back down with a exasperated sigh. It was far too frustrating.

Natsuki blinked her eyes open when she heard an amused giggle. Her face filtered red when she filtered red when she realized Shizuru was giggling at her indecision. She gaped at the older girl and stuttered out a few incomprehensible words before the older girl collected herself. "maah…Forgive me Natsuki-you just looked so cute when you're flustered," she explained, still covering her mouth to smother the smile.

"You…Shizuru! Quit it! I'm trying to think!" Natsuki barked, a scowl setting itself on her face, the blush only deepening at her weak comeback to the playful tease. "Bah…forget it…" she grumbled, slapping her palm to her forehead, trying to cover her face. _Seriously…how am I supposed to think about thing with her giggling at me like that?! Cute…ridiculous…_she groused in her head. The last part of her thoughts however, weren't helping her heart though, as she felt it skip a beat and speed up at the thought. _And just what the hell is that about?_ She thought incredulously, placing her free hand over her chest, _Why the hell is it beating so fast?_

"Natsuki doesn't have to have an answer for me, I haven't asked for one," Shizuru admitted, glancing over to her debating friend, "There's no need for you to become so stressed over the matter," Shizuru almost seemed to be pleading with the other girl, as if she didn't want to know the answer.

Natsuki turned to her and shook her head furiously, "That's not what I'm thinking about!" she lied, the hints splotched across her face in the form of a pink flush, "I mean-Shizuru, why'd you go this long without telling me?! We're friends aren't we? We should be able to tell each other anything!" Natsuki cried, clenching one of her fists again, her voice fervent. She wasn't expecting the shocked expression on Shizuru's face, followed by the chestnut haired girl turning away from her.

"Really…to say such things…" Natsuki heard the definite strain in those words, "Natsuki…is so kind…" Shizuru seemed to be laughing her words, but the fingertips that were discretely trying to wipe something out of her eyes caused the bluenette some degree of distress.

"Sh-Shizuru-Are you crying?! Oh god, why are you crying? Did I say something-!" her frantic babbling was cut off by something very soft against her lips. It took her a moment to realize what exactly they were: Shizuru's lips. Her jade orbs widened as the older girl threaded a hand through her hair, the other tenderly cupping her cheek. She inwardly whimpered as the other of the two began to slowly move her lips against her own. She squeezed her eyes shut and grasped onto the crimson eyed girl's shirt, clinging to her source of stability.

Natsuki couldn't really describe all the emotions that had seemed to start to boil with her stomach and were causing the blooming warmth in her chest. All she could really comprehend, or hear for that matter, was the fierce beating of her heart and soft rustling of their clothing. They broke off for only a second before Shizuru's lips dived back in for another catch, this one more deep than the last. It wasn't long before Natsuki felt her own lips reciprocating in the kiss. She barely felt it as her arms weaved around the other girl's neck, trying to bring her closer. It was when Shizuru's tongue poked at her lips that Natsuki gasped, and she felt Shizuru back away suddenly, as if burned.

Natsuki blinked her eyes open, still somewhat hazy from the kiss and stared at her friend. Shizuru had a hand over her lips and her eyes were downcast. It was a while before either of them spoke, "Natsuki…I am so very, _very _sorry," Shizuru whispered, a disgusted tone in her voice, as if she felt as though she'd forced the whole thing to happen. She stood abruptly, leaving Natsuki still wordless on the couch and quickly headed to the door. She turned again and reiterated her words, "Kannin na Natsuki," she whispered again, pain evident once more. She twisted open the door knob and it was then Natsuki realized the girl was trying to leave.

"W-Wait a minute! Shizuru!" She scrambled up from her seat, stumbling as fast as she could to grab at the girl who was trying to escape through the door. She was successful, capturing the stray hand from the door, effectively stopping the shocked girl before her. "D-don't leave…" she begged pathetically, partially for herself, but mostly for the beauty before her. She knew well enough that when Shizuru blamed herself for something, she really, honestly thought of herself as some sort of monster. She wouldn't' let it go, and she would agonized over it for days or months at a time and never really get over it. She didn't want that moment to be one of them. Not when she could help it. "Why are you trying to leave?" she demanded, her voice firm, despite the faint flush from the kiss still on her cheeks.

"I…" Shizuru seemed too stunned to truly answer and Natsuki noticed how much trouble Shizuru was having hiding behind her mask. _Come on Shizuru…Just let it down! I need to know what you're feeling!_ Natsuki pleaded silently, hoping her eyes got the message across for her and she stared into scared crimson. It was a few moment before Natsuki saw a distinct shift in the emotions on the pale face of her friend and saw the self disgust. "I shouldn't have forced myself onto Natsuki like that…Not when she didn't want it," Shizuru finally answered, slowly drawing out her words, trying to pin the blame on her. Natsuki grabbed hold of the other hand and pulled the taller woman back into the room, frowning slightly.

"I…it's not like that Shizuru…You didn't really…" she blushed at the thought, and turned her eyes away, "I mean it's not like I did nothing back right?" she murmured softly, almost hoping the older girl didn't hear her. Instincts to protect herself against any incoming teases were hard to break, and even harder to suppress. She had to remind herself that this was serious, and she had to be firm. So she tried it again, "I mean, Shizuru, I may not have been expecting it or anything, but…" She glanced into her friends stunned eyes, "It's not like I wasn't enjoying it either,"

Shizuru's face seemed to break at her words and Natsuki couldn't help but feel irked at the tears that started to pool in the normally stoic girl's eyes. "Really…Natsuki…you're far too kind for your own good…ookini…" she added her thanks quietly, through her hand as she tried to wipe away the incoming tears.

"So…I mean…I can try for you Shizuru, because honestly…I want to know what this feeling is too," Natsuki admitted, taking her now free hand and touching her chest lightly over her heart, which had begun to once again to beat faster and harder than she would care for it to do.

"So…you would be willing to try for a relationship?" Shizuru asked, her voice small, tinted with faint hope.

Natsuki felt her face flush even deeper and shook her head, "Well, maybe not a relationship per say, but something close to that…like just dating or something-to try it! I mean I'm still unsure and…" she trailed off, looking up and Shizuru's now semi-amused expression, "And I'm making myself look like a total nut job aren't I?" she grumbled, shoulders slumping a bit. She blinked in surprise as Shizuru patted her head lightly, turning the motion into a caress of her hair.

"I believe that I would be honored to be 'just dating or something' with Natsuki. If it's with you, I'll always be content with that," Shizuru commented affectionately, her voice regaining it's normal amount of teasing amusement. Natsuki felt her heart flutter again at the words, but managed to keep the pace there as Shizuru leaned in for a small peck on the lips.

_Yeah…me too Shizuru. Even though, I'm not quite sure what this feeling is yet. I'll be happy beside you. That much I can be absolutely sure of._

_

* * *

_I'm not sure how to call this..fluff, or healing/acceptance? x3 either way i still enjoyed writing the second part alot. Natsuki really can be sweet (even if she doesn't realize it herself-being the blunt and clueless person we love). Shizuru's conception of her being a monster shows up in the anime during the scene righhtttt before she looses it and 'kills' Haruka. (I was just re-watching that two nights ago too...) it shows how she really does regret certain things, and near the end where she honestly and freely is apologizing to Natsuki was far too adorable for it's own good.

anyhow, That wraps this story up. (thank god...) and I'm sure I'll have other stories from this time line sooner or later. But right now I've got other ideas to work on, like the collection of ShizNat drabbles that have been festering in my head, and the Otome/HiME cross over where the Shizuru's switch (should that be a go or no go?) and I'd love to hear what you'd like me to do next. =3

As always thanks for reading and reviews are love =3

KonaxOokami


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